久 means “long time”

ひさしい · hisashii

Also: old story

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ひさしい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キュウ, ク

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 5 · 3 strokes

The story

Picture a figure bent forward, leaning on a stick after a very long wait. お久しぶり greets someone you haven't seen in ages, 永久 is forever, and 持久走, the endurance run, is a winter fixture at Japanese schools.

Used in 久しぶり (hisashiburi, after a long time), 永久 (eikyuu, eternity), and 持久力 (jikyuuryoku, stamina)

More from The Order of Things

• 停 stop
• 順 order
• 了 finish
• 永 eternity
• 複 multiple
• 翌 next
• 補 supplement
• 旧 former
• 並 line up
• 逆 reverse

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.